Former Castle Point MP charged with electoral fraud
- Published
Bob Spink has been accused of submitting false signatures on nomination papers
A former Conservative MP who defected to UKIP has been charged with electoral fraud.
The allegations against Bob Spink are related to the local election campaign in Essex for Castle Point Borough Council in 2016.
Essex Police said UKIP activist James Parkin had also been charged.
The pair have been accused of submitting false signatures on nomination papers.
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Mr Spink has been charged with five counts of submitting false signatures on nomination papers on or before 5 April 2016.
Mr Parkin faces nine counts of the same charge.
Four of the charges in Mr Parkin's case relate specifically to false signatures while the remaining five related to obtaining genuine signatures by misleading electors about what they were signing for.
Both men will appear at Ipswich Magistrates' Court on 25 April.